Buffs qualify two more at regional

by nathan oster

The Greybull Buffs will be sending six athletes to this weekend’s State 2A Track and Field Championships in Casper after McKenna Powers and Logan Jensen punched their ticket at the regional meet in Lander.

Powers and Jensen join the four members of the 400-meter relay team, Dylan Brenner, Calder Forcella, Alex Hebb and Kyler Flock, who qualified earlier in the season by bettering the 2A qualifying standard.

The Buffs didn’t have the firepower to make a run in the team standings, finishing ninth in both the boys and girls divisions. Lovell won both divisions, collecting 170 points in the girls and 148.83 in the boys. Greybull tallied 17 in the boys division, nine in the girls division.

McKenna Powers scored all nine for the girls. To qualify, athletes needed to place in the top eight. Powers did so in three of her four events, taking fifth in the 400 meters (in 1:05.73), sixth in the triple jump (31-4), and eighth in the 800 (2:33.95).

Sukut said Powers’ 800 time was a personal best, as was her effort in the triple jump, by one-quarter inch. Powers finished one spot out of qualifying in the long jump, finishing ninth with a leap of 14-1 ¾.

She will be the only Lady Buff in action this weekend in Casper.

“Good for her,” said Sukut. “I figured she’d qualify. I just didn’t know in how many events. She was close in her fourth.”

Looking ahead to the culminating meet, Sukut said, “Anything can happen at state,” and that Powers is capable of placing high if she can put it all together. “I think she’s sitting pretty good (to place) in the 800.”

Sukut said several other Lady Buffs had good meets, but just came up short of qualifying.

Sydney Eckman finished one spot out of qualifying in the 400, placing ninth. “I thought she’d have a good chance, but not quite,” said Sukut. “It’s pretty good for a freshman to be one place out of going, though, and with the time that she turned in.”

Aftin DeRosa also landed in the “near miss” category, placing 11th in the 100 meters and 11th in the long jump (with a personal best 13-7 ¾.).

In the boys division, the Buffs didn’t enter their 400-meter relay team. Dylan Brenner was on the senior trip and didn’t attend the regional, but the foursome of Brenner, Hebb, Forcella and Flock are going to state by virtue of a time they posted earlier in the season.

“Looking at some of the times, they’re really going to have to perform to get a spot because it’s tight,” said Sukut. “What we’ll be doing this week (in practice) is working on handoffs and making sure we’re ready to go.”

Logan Jensen was among the athletes who rose to the occasion in Lander. He threw a personal-best 127-10 to place fourth and qualify in the discus. “He improved by almost 3 feet,” Sukut said. “That’s what you hope for as coach, that your athletes will put it all together (at regionals).”

Calder Forcella was one slot behind, taking fifth with a throw of 124-1 ½. It wasn’t a personal best — but the Greybull sophomore made up for it in the shot put. He placed seventh in the event with a heave of 38-6 ¼, which was about a half-foot improvement over his personal best.

Alex Hebb may have been the most pleasant surprise for the Buffs. The junior placed fourth in the long jump, earning a trip to state and improving by more than a foot by coming in with a distance of 19-6 ¾. His previous best was 18-5 ¼.

“He did it on his first jump in the prelims,” Sukut said. “Another case of an athlete putting it all together at the right time.” Sukut said Hebb was entered in the first flight, so when he posted 19-6 3/4, he got to enjoy being in first place “for quite awhile,” until some of the top jumpers took their turn toward the end of the second flight.

Hebb also made runs at qualifying in both the 100 and 200, but came up short, taking 14th and 13th, respectively.

Several other boys also came up a little short of qualifying, including Kyler Flock, who was ninth in the 400, 10th in the 200 and 11th in the 100; and Wyatt Good, who capped his high school career with 10th-place finishes in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles.

“Overall it was a good weekend,” Sukut said. “It’s always good when kids get in there, compete well and earn a trip to state.”

The state meet will unfold over the course of three days in Casper, starting today (Thursday, May 16) and ending Saturday.